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Poster:	Mandojammer	Date:	March 20, 2009 01:10:46pm
Forum:	GratefulDead	Subject:	Re: Bourbon newbie: path to enjoyment

First off cosmic - do you sit down to pee?????

Just kidding - honestly, scotch for me absolutely was an acquired taste. I was on my first deployment in Scotland back in '84. We had gone out to a pub for fish and chips, haggis and something to drink. I ordered a Coke and the barkeep told me it was $3 a can. Then he said his malt whiskies were 40-90 pence a dram. He must have known I was a newbie because he laughed and lined them up in order and took me on a tour of Scottish whiskies - Highland, Lowland, Speyside, Campbelton, Islay. Over the next few nights he took a lot of my money and put me through vertical tastings within a region and horizontals across regions.

Eventually, I could begin to nose and taste the differences - so it became a bit of a game to guess what region I was dramming and what finishes had been used.

Part of scotch drinking is snobbery, but it is a lot of fun to go to tastings and try your luck at naming the malts. Back in the day I could go 7 for 10 on region and 10 for 10 on finish. Vertical tastings within a distillery were always tough, but the most fun. I had the rare opportunity to sample a 1946 Macallan 50 year old at one - the host surprised us all - since it goes for about $350.00 USD a dram!!!!!!!!!

So the not so short answer is yes - it is an acquired taste. I have found it very intriguing to go back into the bourbon world and try the single barrels and special vattings coming out of Kentucky and Tennessee.

Have fun - I sure did.